Nursing Career Abroad

Nursing is a career filled with endless personal and professional rewards. If you choose nursing, you are choosing to spend your life helping others, using skills that blend scientific knowledge with compassion and caring. There are few professions that offer such a rewarding combination of high tech and high touch.

Nurses are the largest single component of any hospital staff - the primary providers of hospital patient care - and, they deliver most of the nation's nursing home care. They work in a variety of other settings as well. With the aging population growing steadily, there will be no shortage of jobs for nurses well into the future.In most parts of the country,the average age of nurses is growing, meaning that more nurses are retiring, thus furthering the nursing shortage. So, as the current crop of Baby Boomer-age nurses nears retirement, fewer trained nurses are in the pipeline to replace them. This translates into more job opportunities with the potential of higher starting salaries.

Nursing is a blend of science and technology with the art of caring and compassion. Every day on the job nurses use the science they learned in nursing school. And, when employed, they take continuing education courses on a regular basis to keep up with the latest in the medical and nursing sciences. Nurses work closely with doctors and other health care professionals, and serve as the advocates for patients and families.

Ongoing advances in technology - which are helping people live longer, healthier lives - have made nursing even more rewarding to those who like developing their skills in this area. Nurses do:

• Assessments: Nurses gather information about the patient's physical condition, emotional state, lifestyle, family, hopes, fears, etc.
  
• Diagnoses: Nurses identify the patient's problems or needs, which often are emotional or spiritual, as well as physical.
  
• Planning: Nurses find ways to address these problems and set specific goals for improvement. Whenever possible, nurses encourage patients to participate in planning their care.
  
• Implementation: The nursing plan is put into effect. For example, nurses may administer medications and treatments, or teach patients how to care for themselves; e.g, showing them how exercise might improve their flexibility after surgery.
• Evaluation: Nurses regularly review the results of the plan and make adjustments when necessary.

Nurses care for patients in the following ways:

• Nurses help bring babies into the world, and they take care of new moms before and after childbirth.
  
• Nurses help sick and injured people get better, and they help healthy people stay healthy.
  
• Nurses perform physical examinations.
  
• Nurses give medications and treatments ordered by doctors.
  
• Nurses are concerned with the emotional, social, and spiritual conditions of their patients.
  
• Nurses teach and counsel patients, as well as family members, and explain what they can expect during the recovery process.
  
• Nurses provide health care teaching and counseling in the community.
  
• Nurses observe, assess, evaluate, and record patients' conditions and progress, and they communicate patient condition information to doctors and other members of the health care team.
  
• Nurses help patients and families determine the best mix of health and social services - hospice, home care, rehabilitation, physical therapy, and others.
  
• Nurses design and complete quality assurance activities to ensure appropriate nursing care.
  
• Nurses help terminally ill patients die with dignity, and they help family members deal with dying and death.

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The job market

Today, there is a significant nursing shortage, and statistics show that the need for nurses in years to come will only become greater. Here is why:

• Because advances in health care are helping people live longer, there are more elderly people who need care.
  
• The number of people who are sicker and in need of more skilled nurses is growing.
  
• More nurses are needed outside of the hospital setting.
  
• The current nursing workforce is aging. As more nurses retire (many are expected to retire over the next 10-15 years), more will be needed to replace them.

So, nurses today - particularly those with a bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN) - are almost guaranteed jobs right out of college and can be assured of a secure career well into the future.

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Salaries increase as nurses gain experience. When you consider the pay a nurse receives for working shifts and overtime, many nurses make much more than their base salaries. Nurses who go into management and advanced clinical practice can earn even more.

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Nursing opportunities

Nurses today have more options than ever before about what kind of work they do, where they do it, and when they work. About 50 percent of nurses work in hospitals. The rest work in many other settings, including:

• Long-term-care centers (rehabilitation, nursing homes, hospice)
  
• Community health clinics
  
• Freestanding outpatient and surgery centers
  
• Medical offices (eye doctors, dentists, obstetricians, surgeons, and others)
  
• Home care (visiting nurses, private duty nurses)
  
• Nursing schools (as professors)
  
• Corporate health centers (occupational safety, consultants, educators)
  
• Insurance and managed care companies
  
• Other companies (pharmaceutical, medical technology, biotech, and others)
  
• Research centers (research nursing)
  
• Schools (including K-12, university clinics)
  
• Military
  
• Peace Corps and international service organizations
  
• Hospital regulators (conducting surveys, inspections)

Nursing opportunities in hospitals

Where do nurses work in hospitals? Practically everywhere! They work in:

• Patient care units at the bedside
  
• Operating rooms, trauma centers, and emergency rooms
  
• Medical records or other hospital offices
  
• X-ray and other diagnostic units
  
• Intensive care units
  
• Surgical and recovery units
  
• Same-day surgery centers
  
• Pediatrics, caring for children
  
• Hospital nurseries or neonatal intensive care units, caring for newborns
  
• Obstetrics, helping new moms give birth
  
• Psychiatric and drug treatment centers
  
• Laboratories
  
• Helicopters and ambulances, caring for patients in transport to hospitals
  
• And in many other places!

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Working hours

Nurses have lots of flexibility in their working schedules.

• Nurses can work days, evenings, or nights.
  
• A nurse's shift can be 8-12 hours.
  
• Some nurses work 36 hours in 3 days or 40 hours in 4 days (then have 3-4 days off).
  
• Some work part-time or only on weekends.

Generally, though, nurses work 40 hours per week like other professionals.

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Specialty nursing opportunities

Many RNs pursue additional education to become:

• Clinical nurse specialists, who perform advanced work in specialized fields such as cancer or mental health;
  
• Certified nurse midwives, who help women through pregnancy, through childbirth, and help care for their newborns;
  
• Nurse anesthetists, who anesthetize patients in the operating room, emergency room, and elsewhere;
  
• Nurse researchers, who study ways to improve nursing methods, evaluate patterns of patient care, and more;
  
• Nurse practitioners, who perform many advanced medical functions that once only physicians were permitted to do; and,
  
• Psychiatric nurse practitioners, who perform functions that once only psychiatrists were permitted to do.
  

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Preparing for a nursing career

Nursing schools require a high school diploma and a sound academic standing in high school English, algebra, chemistry, biology, physics and psychology. An understanding of computers and technology also is a great asset.

Nurses also need:

• Leadership and organizational skills
  
• People skills
  
• Patience
  
• Flexibility
  
• Compassion
  
• Problem-solving skills
  
• A sense of humor
  
• The ability to stay calm in a crisis

Volunteering at a local hospital is a great way to learn more about the career and can help you get into the nursing school of your choice. Contact your local hospital about volunteer opportunities.

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Nursing School

Students interested in nursing should apply to state-approved and accredited schools of nursing. Courses include classroom instruction in biology, chemistry, physics, the social sciences, nursing theory and practice, and the humanities. In addition, students get supervised clinical hands-on experience in hospitals and other health care settings.

Students need good study habits and excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Confidence, determination, and an eagerness to learn will guide you in your pursuit to help and heal others as a nurse.

There are more than 1,500 nursing programs in the United States. Three types of training programs prepare you for different roles once you graduate:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) - a four-year program offered at colleges and universities around the country.
  
• Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) - a two-year program offered at many community and junior colleges. Some hospital schools of nursing and universities offer ADN degrees.
  
• Hospital Diploma - a two- or three-year program based in hospital settings. Many diploma schools are affiliated with junior colleges where students take basic science and English requirements. There are no diploma programs in Maryland.

The BSN gives you the most opportunity for advancement and the most flexibility of the three types of degrees and is required for those interested in a master's degree in nursing.

A master's degree is required for those who want to practice in advanced specialty areas. Fields that require a master's degree include:

• Nurse practitioner
  
• Nurse anesthetist
  
• Nurse midwife
  
• Clinical nurse specialist
  
• RN first assistant in the operating room

Nurses interested in becoming a nurse researcher or a professor of nursing generally need to obtain doctoral degrees.

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Tuition

Tuition varies widely depending on whether you attend a private or public college and whether you are a resident or non-resident of the state. Financial aid is available from numerous sources, as are scholarships. Check with your guidance counselor to determine which sources are right for you, and visit the Financial Aid/Scholarship section of this site.

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Licensing

• Graduates must pass a national licensing exam to become an RN.
  
• The exam is offered through the Board of Nursing from the state in which you plan to practice. 
  
• Some states require continuing education or practice to maintain a nursing license.

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Continuing education

Science is always finding new treatments, new medicines, and new procedures to help patients. Think of all the new treatments developed since you were born - tremendous breakthroughs in heart care, cancer care, and treatments for all kinds of new and old diseases. So, keeping up with the latest in the medical and nursing sciences is essential. All nurses take continuing education courses on a regular basis.^ top

I've graduated. Now what?

New nurses receive on-the-job training in hospitals and other health care settings through orientation programs, in-service training, and practicums. All newly employed nurses are encouraged to ask questions. With the help and support of more experienced nurses, they participate in the nursing process from the beginning.

If you choose to become a nurse, you will discover a career filled with endless personal and professional rewards. Good luck!

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